Fr. Andrew’s Daily Homily Podcast
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 33rd Week of the Year
Christ speaks to the question of the resurrection of the dead and reminds us that we are called to eternal life.
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If schedules and flights go as planned, my group of pilgrims should make it safely back home today. The beauty of Italy and the opportunity of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy have touched our hearts and helped us draw close to the Lord and one another.
Study: What comes to mind when you think of Heaven? Have you or someone you know ever had a near-death experience? How does thinking of Heaven shape how you live your life?
Pray: Is there something that is keeping you away from God? Take time to pray and consider receiving the Sacrament of Confession.
Serve: Are there any tasks that you have neglected that would cause hardship to others if you died suddenly? What steps can you take to make sure that you are ready when the Lord calls you home?
Mass Readings – 32nd Sunday of the Year
Both the 1st Reading and the Gospel point to the resurrection of the dead. In the Second Book of Maccabees we hear how those who are tortured for their faith find hope in the resurrection to eternal life, and in the Gospel of Luke Jesus teaches the Sadducees that the dead will rise.
To talk about heaven is not some sort of “pie in the sky” thinking. We look to this world – where we experience birth, life and death – as a pilgrim progress. We are travelers passing through, confident that there is more to the journey when death comes our way.
This understanding of the resurrection of the dead is thus both a consolation and a challenge. As a consolation we have hope! We seek to love and know the Lord in this life so that we are prepared to be with him forever in heaven. Life on earth leads to the eternal; we find that our longings in this world point toward a fulfillment that comes in the next chapter of our story.
Yet the challenge is also real. Will we be prepared at the hour of our death? Will we look upon the face of Jesus with love, or will shame, fear, sin and vice drive us away? For in the end all will be fully known: either we will run to the Lord to seek his mercy for our sins, or we will run away because we see our sins as insurmountable obstacles.
The Church Fathers used the image of Holy Fire as a fitting example. When we are called from this life we will stand before the burning fire of God’s love. The elect will draw near to this fire for warmth (and very possibly) a cleansing that burns away all impurities. The damned will simply burn up…unable to receive the mercy and grace. Why? Because they did not acknowledge their sins and accept God’s mercy and forgiveness during their journey on earth.
As we head toward the end of the Liturgical Year and the Extraordinary Year of Mercy, I invite all of us to ponder life, death and resurrection – seeking the Lord’s saving grace in this life so that we are prepared to meet Jesus Christ in the eternal life to come.
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The Last Judgment, Michelangelo, 1536-1541, Sistine Chapel, Rome. Photo credit: Dennis Jarvis.
Mass Readings – 31st Sunday of the Year
Zacchaeus responds to the call of Christ, and shows us how we can respond to the Lord everyday – both in our personal lives and our support for one another.
Study: Reflect back on moments where you carried a Cross in your life. Where did you find the strength to carry it?
Pray: Pray for those who are struggling as they endure their Cross, that God will give them the grace they need.
Serve: How can you help someone carry their Cross? How can you help lighten their load?
12th Sunday of the Year Readings
These are solemn and powerful words that greet us in the Scriptures this week. Here’s a quick recap:
I’d like to draw out a couple of key points in the light of these readings. First, the Cross directly touches our lives…because pain, suffering, evil and injustice are all part of the landscape of human existence. The Cross of Christ speaks to us because in the Cross the Lord meets us in midst of the mess and muck of life. And as we “look on him whom they have pierced” we see in the prophetic words of Zechariah how Jesus crucifies all suffering in his Cross – and redeems us in his almighty grace!
Second, we all have our own Crosses. We have been on both the giving and receiving end of hardship, and we know firsthand our own Crosses that we have carried (and have seen others carry theirs as well.) We then recall how our Cross is a tiny splinter of the Lord’s – and that when we carry our Cross we participate in a small but significant way in the Lord’s sacrifice at Calvary.
What is your Cross? What is the burden you bear at this point in your life? May we turn to the Lord for the strength and grace we need, confident that as Christ was triumphant in his Cross he will give us the help we need to carry our own.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily – Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Easter
What gives people strength to carry on when the going gets tough? To hang in there when it is painful, difficult, or oppressive? The struggles of the early Church were sustained by their faith in Christ, who promised eternal life to all who believe in him.
Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast – Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent
The Gospel proclaims that we receive from Jesus what he received from his Father in heaven. As Lord and savior, Christ will judge us at the end of time by our deeds, reminding us that we have a precious opportunity today to live our faith with power and joy.
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Christ with Thorns, Carl Heinrich Bloch, before 1890, Hope Gallery, Salt Lake City, USA.
3rd Sunday of Lent Readings – Year C
The Lord is blunt and direct in the Gospel today: we are called to repent…or perish. The life-and-death quality of this command reminds us that God’s grace is ready to wash us clean – if we open our hearts through repentance and turn to the Lord. As God directed Moses and led the people from slavery to freedom, may we discover new life in Christ when we repent and believe in the Good News.
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If you are looking for more material to help you this Lent, you might consider this list of presentations I have offered over the last couple of years. Feel free to check it out and share if you find it helpful:
Podcast Resources for a Powerful Lent
Midnight Mass Podcast from the Cathedral – 95 Minutes
Fr. Andrew’s Christmas Homily Podcast
Like a bridge that connects two shores, Jesus Christ comes into our world to unite us to God and one another. Fully human like us, he teaches us about God and guides us to heaven. Fully divine, he has the power to overcome sin and death and bring healing and reconciliation to our lives.
Merry Christmas!
Thursday of the 29th Week of Ordinary Time Homily Podcast
St. Paul reminds us:
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
May we acknowledge our sins and embrace the freely given gift of grace!
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This daily Mass homily was given at Cathedral of Christ the King on October 22, 2015.
Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast – Palm Sunday
Christ comes to Jerusalem – knowing that he will suffer and die – that through his Cross and Resurrection we might be saved from sin and death. Like a firefighter, he approaches the fire to rescue us. He invites us to take his hand, that he might lead us into a freedom of faith and eternal life.
Our invitation is to let go of the sins and hurts that have bound us; to unclench our hands from past injuries and allow his saving grace to set us free.
This homily was given on March 29, 2015 at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, WI.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 